breaks out, even in people of the best parts, in all the various modes and figures of egotifm.

Some, abruptly, fpeak advantageously of themselves, without either pretence or provocation. They are im pudent. Others proceed more artfully, as they imagine, and forge accufations against themselves, complain of calumnies which they never heard, in order to justify themselves, by exhibiting a catalogue of their many virtues. They acknowledge it may, indeed, feem odd, that they fhould talk in that manner of. themselves; it is what they do not like, and what they never would have done; no, no tortures fhould ever have forced it from them, if they had not been thus. unjustly and monftroufly accufed. But, in thefe cafes, juftice is furely due to one's-felf, as well as to others; and, when our character is attacked, we may fay, in our own juftification, what otherwife we never would. have faid. This thin veil of modefty drawn before van-ity, is much too tranfparent to conceal it, even from very moderate difcernment.

Others go more modeftly and more flily ftill (as they think) to work: but, in my mind, ftill more ridiculoufly. They confefs themfelves (not without fome de-. gree of fhame and confufion) into all the cardinal virtues; by first degrading them into weakneffes, and. then owning their misfortune, in being made up of thofe weakneffes. They cannot fee people fuffer, with-out fympathifing with, and endeavouring to help them. They cannot fee people want, without relieving them ; though, truly, their own circumftances cannot very. well afford it. They cannot help fpeaking truth, though they know all the imprudence of it. In fhort, they know that, with all thefe weakneffes, they are not fit to live in the world, much less to thrive in it. But they are now too old to change, and must rub on as well as they can. This founds too ridiculous and outré, almoft, for the ftage; and yet, take my word for it, you will frequently meet with it, upon the common ftage of the world. And here, I will observe, by the bye,, that you will often meet with characters in nature, fo extravagant, that a difcreet poet would.not.

venture to fet them upon the stage, in their true and high colouring.

This principle of vanity and pride is fo ftrong in human-nature, that it defcends even to the lowest objects; and one often fees people angling for praise, where, admitting all they fay to be true, (which, by the way, it feldom is) no juft praife is to be caught. One man affirms that he rode poft an hundred miles in fix hours probably it is a lie; but, fuppofing it to be true, what then? Why he is a very good poft-boy, that is all. Another afferts, and probably not without oaths, that he has drunk fix or eight bottles of wine at a fitting out of charity, I will believe him a liar ; for, if I do not, I must think him a beast.

Such, and a thousand more, are the follies and extravagances which vanity draws people into, and which always defeat their own purpofe; and, as Waller fays, upon another fubject,

Make the wretch the more defpifed,

Where moft he wishes to be prized.

The only fure way of avoiding these evils, is, never to fpeak of yourself at all. But when, hiftorically, you are obliged to mention yourself, take care not to drop one fingle word, that can directly or indirectly be construed as fifhing for applaufe. Be your character what it will, it will be known; and nobody will take it upon your own word. Never imagine that any thing you can fay yourself will varnish your defects, or add luftre to your perfections; but, on the contrary, it may, and nine times in ten will, make the former more glaring, and the latter obfcure. If you are filent upon your own fubject,neither envy, indignation,nor ridicule, will obftruct or allay the applaufe which you may really deferve; but if you publish your own panegyric, upon any occafion, or in any fhape whatfoever, and however artfully dreffed or disguifed, they will all confpire against you, and you will be disappointed of end you aim at.

the very

Take care never to feem dark and mysterious; which is not only a very unamiable character, but a very fufpicious one too: if you feem myfterious with other

De

they will be really fo with you, and you will know nothing. The height of abilities is, to have volto fciolto, and penfiere fretti; that is, a frank, open, and ingenuous exterior, with a prudent and referved interior, as far as virtue warrants, or rather dictates to you. pend upon it, nine in ten of every company you are in will avail themfelves of every indifcreet and unguarded expreffion of yours, if they can turn it to their own advantage. A prudent referve, is therefore, common. ly a virtue; as by an unwarrantable franknefs you may ajure others as well as yourself. Always look people in the face when you speak to them; the not doing it is thought to imply confcious guilt; befides that, you lofe the advantage of obferving by their countenances what impreffion your difcourfes make upon them. In order to know people's real fentiments, I truft much more to my eyes than to my ears; for they can fay whatever they have a mind I'fhould hear, but they can feldom help looking what they have no intention that I

fhould know.

Neither retail nor receive fcandal, willingly; for though the dafamation of others may, for the prefent, gratify the malignity or the pride of our hearts, cool reflection will draw very difadvantageous conclufions from fuch a difpofition: and in the cafe of fcandal, as in that of robbery, the receiver is always thought as bad as the thief.

Mimicry, which is the common and favourite amufement of little, low minds, is in the utmost contempt with great ones. It is the lowest and most illiberal of all buffoonery. Pray, neither practife it yourfelf, nor applaud it in others. Besides that, the perfon mimicked is infulted; and, as I have often obferved to you before, an infult is never forgiven.

I need not (I believe) advise you to adapt your converfation to the people you are converfing with: or I fuppofe you would not, without this caution, have talked upon the fame fubject, and in the fame manner, to a minister of state, a biflop, a philofopher, a captain, and a woman. A man of the world muft, like the ca meleon, be able to take every different hue; which is

by no means a criminal or abject, but a neceffary complaifance, for it relates only to manners, and not to morals.

One word only, as to fwearing; and that, I hope and believe, is more than is neceffary. You may fometimes hear fome people, in good company, interlard their difcourfe with oaths, by way of embellishment, as they think; but you must obferve too, that thofe who do fo are never those who contribute, in any degree to give that company the denomination of good company. They are always fubalterns, or people of low education; for that practice, befides that it has no one temptation to plead, is as filly, and as illiberal, as it is wicked.

Loud laughter is the mirth of the mob, who are only pleafed with filly things; for true wit or good fense never excited a laugh fince the creation of the world. A man of parts and fashion is therefore often seen to fmile, but feldom heard to laugh.

But to conclude this long letter-all the abovementioned rules, however carefully you may obferve them, will lofe half their effect, if unaccompanied by the Graces. Whatever you fay, if you fay it with a fupercilious, cynical face, or an embarraffed countenance, or a filly difconcerted grin, will be ill received. If into the bargain, you mutter it, or utter it indiftinctly, and ungracefully, it will be still worfe received. If your air and addrefs are vulgar, awkward, and gauche, you may be esteemed indeed, if you have great intrinfie merit; but you will never pleafe: and, without pleafing, you will rife but heavily.

LETTER LXV.

Cautions against the Levity and Giddinefs of Youth ..Against Indifcretion in Conversation, and Captiousness ..Against meddling in other People's Concerns... Against repeating in one Company what paffes in another.. Bons Diables...Steadiness... Complaifance...Marks of a low Mind.

DEAR BOY,

My anxiety

Bath, October the 29th

Y anxiety for your fuccefs increafes, in proportion as the time approaches for taking your part

upon the great ftage of the world. The audience will form their opinion of you upon your firft appearance (making the proper allowance for your inexperience) and fo far it will be final, that, though it may vary as to the degrees, it will never totally change. This confideration excites that restless attention, with which I am conftantly examining how I can beft contribute to the perfection of that character, in which the leaft fpot or blemish would give me more real concern than I am now capable of feeling upon any other account what foever.

I have long fince done mentioning your great religious and moral duties; becaufe I could not make your understanding fo bad a compliment, as to fuppofe that you wanted, or could receive, any new inftructions upon those two important points. Mr. Harte I am fure, has not neglected them; befides they are fo obvious to common fenfe and reafon, that commentators may (as they often do) perplex, but cannot make them clearer. My province, therefore, is to fupply by my experience, your hitherto inevitable inexperience in the ways of the world. People at your age are in a ftate of natural ebriety; and want rails, and gardefous, wher ever they go, to hinder them from breaking their necks. This drunkenness of youth is not only tolera ted, but even pleafes, if kept within certain bounds of difcretion and decency. Thofe bounds are the point, which it is difficult for the drunken man himself to find out; and there it is that the experience of a friend may not only ferve, but fave him.

Carry with you, and welcome, into company, all the gaiety and fpirits, but as little of the giddinefs of youth as you can. The former will charm; but the latter will often, though innocently, implacably offend. In form yourself of the characters and fituations of the company, before you give way to what your imagina tion may prompt you to fay. There are, in all compa nies, more wrong heads than right ones, and many more who deferve, than who like cenfure. Should you therefore expatiate in the praife of fome virtue, which fome in company notoriously want; or declaim against